Sundargarh Ultra Mega Power Project

Sundargarh Ultra Mega Power Project is one of nine Ultra Mega Power Projects proposed by the government of India as part of a strategy to add an additional 100,000 megawatts of generation capacity by 2017. The 4,000 megawatt project is in the state of Orissa.

On June 29, 2011, the Ministry of Environment and Forests gave approval to three proposed plants in Orissa and cleared six coal blocks related to the plants. Three coal-blocks (Meenakshi-A, Meenakshi-B and Meenakshi Dipside) were allocated to the Sundargarh UMPP. Five of the six coal blocks were in areas the Environment Ministry had previously defined as no go areas for mining in 2010, including Dulanga, as those areas had over 30 per cent gross forest cover. The actual mining process can begin only once the companies receive the final approval of a panel set up to assess projects in forest areas.

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